Last Updated: October 5, 2026
Program Overview
Brenau’s 16-month Gainesville hybrid ABSN accepts qualifying associate-degree or non-nursing bachelor’s graduates and combines coursework with local labs and clinical practice.
Brenau accepts qualifying students with an associate degree or equivalent, as well as graduates with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree. Applicants must complete the required prerequisite and transfer preparation before entering the nursing sequence.
Program Format and Attendance
Hybrid coursework: The 16-month program is based in Gainesville, Georgia, and blends online and in-person instruction.
Campus and clinical attendance: Skills labs, simulation, health assessments and assigned clinical experiences require in-person attendance. Plan for travel to placement sites and an intensive four-semester schedule.
Four semesters cover the full clinical spectrum, from pharmacology and health assessment through high-acuity care and capstone transition coursework.
Admissions Requirements
Start Date and Final Deadline
The current published application deadline is November 6, 2026 for the January 11, 2027 start. Brenau’s HESI calendar lists November 4 as the final spring 2027 test date; finish required testing before the application cutoff.
Admission uses academic preparation and review of the applicant’s attributes and experience. Cumulative and science GPAs of 3.0 are recommended; HESI 75% is an eligibility requirement.
Education requirement — one of the following:
- Associate of Science (AS) or Associate of Arts (AA) from a regionally accredited institution
- Bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field
- 60 or more transferable college credits with completion of liberal education coursework per Brenau’s undergraduate catalog
Academic benchmarks:
- Recommended cumulative GPA: 3.0
- Recommended science GPA: 3.0 — based on cumulative grades in Chemistry I & II with lab, Microbiology with lab, and Anatomy & Physiology I & II with lab.
- Science grades from the last 15 years are used in the recommended science GPA. Older courses must be retaken or reviewed for acceptance.
HESI Admission Exam:
- Minimum composite score: 75%
- Brenau’s current HESI schedule offers Gainesville East and North Atlanta sessions and instructs applicants to test at the campus where they will enroll. Confirm your ABSN testing location when booking.
- Confirm score validity and retest limits with admissions before booking another attempt.
Application materials: Submit the online application and official transcripts from every college or university attended for Brenau’s transcript review.
Additional requirements (all applicants):
- Brenau’s published ABSN admission requirements allow one opportunity to provide acceptable background and drug-screen results; only a negative drug screen is acceptable.
- Brenau states that a background check revealing a felony charge is not acceptable. Applicants with misdemeanor charges must contact the Georgia Board of Nursing about licensure-exam qualifications.
- CPR certification (AHA BLS for Healthcare Providers) must remain current throughout clinical coursework
- Complete Brenau’s health form with a licensed healthcare professional and upload required health and immunization documents to ACEMAPP before classes begin.
- ACEMAPP clinical documentation account — budget for applicable account and screening charges.
Clinical clearance: Brenau’s clinical health requirements direct students to Advantage Students for background checks and drug screening. Complete and share results before classes begin; use Brenau’s required health form and the current ACEMAPP checklist for BLS, immunizations and other documentation. Screening must be repeated after a semester deferment or break, according to the linked nursing health checklist.
Prior nursing enrollment: Applicants with previous nursing failures or dismissal should ask admissions to review their history before applying.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite sciences and general education prepare students for the nursing major. Complete the required preparation before beginning the accelerated nursing sequence.
Prerequisite Overview
Complete mandatory prerequisites before nursing courses begin. Sciences more than 15 years old require repetition or an acceptance review; the published transfer policy permits no more than six hours of incomplete liberal education coursework.
- Human Anatomy & Physiology I & II with lab (BY 209/BY 210)
- Microbiology with lab (BY 206)
- Principles of Chemistry I & II with lab (possible substitution pending transcript review)
- Introduction to Psychology (PY 101)
- Human Growth and Development (PY 202)
- Introduction to Statistics (MS 205)
- College Algebra (MS 101)
Students with fewer than 60 transferable credits must complete additional coursework to reach that threshold before ABSN courses begin.
Curriculum
The 62-credit nursing major develops foundational skills, adult and behavioral health care, maternal/pediatric nursing, population care and professional transition. Online theory is combined with in-person labs, simulation and clinical learning. The table retains separate zero-credit lab/clinical registrations; their learning is part of the paired course rather than additional degree credit.
Required Courses and Credits
Foundations and Professional Preparation
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NG 315 — Professional Nursing at Brenau (online) | 2 | This course introduces nursing students to the profession, nursing education, and campus resources while exploring strategies for success. |
NG 345 — Foundations of Nursing Practice | 5 | Students learn fundamental nursing skills through classroom instruction, lab practice, and clinical experiences, emphasizing evidence-based care and patient safety. |
NG 345/L — Foundations of Nursing Practice Lab | 0 | This lab component provides hands-on practice for foundational nursing skills in a supervised laboratory setting. |
NG 360 — Pharmacology | 3 | Students develop knowledge of drug classifications, administration techniques, and the principles of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics to ensure safe medication practices. |
NG 304 — Health Assessment | 3 | This course focuses on comprehensive health assessment, incorporating physical, psychosocial, and cultural factors, with an emphasis on effective communication. |
NG 304/L — Health Assessment Lab | 0 | Students practice and refine health assessment techniques in a supervised lab environment. |
NG 320 — Nursing Pathophysiology (online) | 3 | This course examines disease processes and their physiological effects on the body to enhance clinical decision-making. |
NG 312 — Nursing Care, Older Adult (online) | 2 | Students explore evidence-based approaches to health promotion, risk reduction, and disease prevention for older adults. |
NG 325 — Professional Nursing Diverse Population (online) | 3 | This course focuses on ethical decision-making, cultural competence, and communication strategies to provide equitable care in diverse healthcare settings. |
Adult, Behavioral and Family Care
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NG 306 — Adult Health Nursing | 7 | Students develop clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills while managing acute and chronic conditions in adults through didactic and clinical experiences. |
NG 306/C — Adult Health Nursing Clinical | 0 | This clinical component allows students to apply adult health nursing concepts in real-world patient care settings. |
NG 308 — Behavioral Health Nursing w/Clinical | 5 | Students learn to assess, plan, and implement care for individuals with mental health conditions, incorporating psychotropic medication management and therapeutic communication. |
NG 308/C — Behavioral Health Nursing Clinical | 0 | This clinical experience reinforces behavioral health nursing concepts in various healthcare settings. |
NG 309 — Evidence-Based Practice (online) | 3 | Students explore research methods, ethical considerations, and evidence-based practice to enhance clinical decision-making and nursing interventions. |
NG 404 — Maternity & Women’s Health Nursing | 5 | This course covers nursing care for women throughout the lifespan, focusing on gynecological health, pregnancy, childbirth, and related ethical and cultural issues. |
NG 404/C — Maternity & Women’s Health Nursing Clinical | 0 | Students apply maternity and women’s health nursing concepts in clinical settings. |
NG 406 — Child and Adolescent Health Nursing | 5 | Students focus on health promotion, disease prevention, and nursing care for children and adolescents, integrating ethical and developmental considerations. |
NG 406/C — Child and Adolescent Health Nursing Clinical | 0 | This clinical experience provides hands-on application of pediatric nursing care. |
Leadership, Population Care and Transition
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NG 405 — Leadership & Policy in Nursing Practice (online) | 3 | Students analyze leadership theories, healthcare policy, and nursing roles in global and professional healthcare environments. |
NG 432 — High Acuity Nursing | 4 | This course explores the management of complex, high-acuity patient care, emphasizing evidence-based interventions and critical thinking. |
NG 432/L — High Acuity Nursing Lab | 0 | Students practice high-acuity nursing skills through advanced simulation and lab exercises. |
NG 407 — Community Based Nursing | 4 | This course examines the nurse’s role in community health, focusing on population health, risk prevention, and healthcare disparities. |
NG 407/C — Community Based Nursing Clinical | 0 | Students apply community health nursing concepts through direct patient care in diverse settings. |
NG 445 — Transition to Professional Nursing Practice | 5 | This capstone course integrates nursing knowledge and clinical skills to prepare students for entry into professional nursing roles. |
NG 445/C — Transition to Professional Nursing Clinical | 0 | The program concludes with Transition to Professional Nursing Practice , ensuring graduates are equipped with the necessary skills and experience to enter the workforce confidently. Students engage in preceptorship experiences to refine clinical judgment and professional competencies. |
NG 320 Pathophysiology is included in the June 2026 registrar plan and the university’s ABSN course-fee list. The capstone includes a preceptorship that integrates clinical reasoning, collaboration and readiness for graduate nursing practice. Follow the entering cohort’s approved sequence and prerequisites.
Consult Brenau’s program-specific course descriptions and current registrar plan. The major is 62 credits; prior general education and sciences contribute toward the full degree, which requires at least 120 total credits.
Clinicals
Clinical rotations are embedded across all four semesters, paired directly with each specialty course. Students should anticipate variable travel distances to placement sites each term.
- Clinical integration: Specialty courses include paired lab or clinical registrations (/L or /C). Clinical learning is integrated throughout the four-semester program; follow the cohort’s assigned schedule.
- Specialties covered: Adult health, behavioral health, maternity and women’s health, child and adolescent health, community-based care, and high-acuity nursing
- Simulation: Modern nursing simulation facilities on the Gainesville campus allow skills-building before entering live clinical environments
- Travel: Students are responsible for transportation costs to and from clinical sites, which vary by semester and assignment
- Clinical sites: placements are assigned through Brenau’s health care partners; check the entering cohort’s location and travel expectations.
Tuition
Estimated tuition: $51,026 for the 62-credit major at the 2026–27 ABSN rate of $823 per credit. This is tuition alone, excluding prerequisite coursework, required fees and living expenses.
- Published ABSN course fees total $5,091 across four terms: $1,515, $1,158, $1,260 and $1,158.
- The development fee is 2.5% of tuition, approximately $1,275.65 on the estimated major tuition.
- Four university-services fees at $375 add $1,500.
- The book bundle is listed at $24 per credit, or $1,488 for 62 credits if assessed.
The course, development and services fees above add approximately $7,866.65 before books and other costs. Budget separately for uniforms, background/drug checks, clinical documentation, transportation and supplies. Confirm charges against the entering cohort’s registration and account.
The current university tuition schedule identifies the ABSN rate separately from Gainesville day-program flat-rate tuition. Current rates are applied across the full nursing sequence; future changes or additional coursework can raise the bill. A nine-month cost-of-attendance illustration is not a full-program tuition total.
Accreditation
Brenau’s baccalaureate and master’s nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and hold full approval from the Georgia Board of Nursing. Graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN licensure examination.
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